Nocturnal Book Reviews

Funny how this is a first historical romance with honest to God bondage I've ever read. Colour me surprised! This book pretty much ticks all the boxes I usually need to tick in a historical romance:

- strong plot
- sizzling attraction between two very mature characters who both know what they want
- interesting secondary characters

You won't believe how many HR authors I avoid because they lack this wonderful formula, and I'm happy to say Elizabeth Hoyt delivered and more.

Simply speaking, disreputable Lord Caire has been avoiding society and especially his mother most of his adult life because he can't forgive her for not saving his younger sister who died ill and neglected when she was a child. The man's got issues to a point where he doesn't trust anyone and experiences pain from a physical touch, thus his need for bondage. He doesn't even have lovers among The Society, he has mistresses or pay prostitutes for their services. His last mistress was found tied up and butchered, and he is determined to find the killer and avenge her.

Temperance is a middle class young widow who lives one step away from the abject poverty trying to run an orphanage left to her and her siblings by her dad. When Caire decides to enlist her help they make a deal - she who knows the poor area of London and its inhabitants really well will help him in his investigation, and he will pay her orphanage expenses and will help her find a patron for it among the society.

Spending time together among the slums of London, running away from assassins and simple thugs, meeting the famous ghost... Both Lazarus and Temperance realise that they are not really who they think they are. He might be capable of deeper emotional involvement and she hides wicked desires under her prim and proper appearance...

I just really loved this couple! They are equal partners, and essentially Temperance bests Lazarus who thinks he figured her out, in his own game. This was an absolute delight to read!